Method for improving well production and salt water disposal



w. P. BRYAN 3,167,125

METHOD FOR IMPROVING WELL. PRODUCTION AND SALT WATER DISPOSAL Jan. 26, 1965 Filed Nov. 22. 1961 Warren R Bryan INVENTOR.

9 BY #420 8 M Fig.

United States Patent 3,167,125 METHOD FOR IMPROVING WELL PRDUTIGN AND SALT WATER DIdPOSAL Warren P. Bryan, 709 Lee St., Berger, Tex. Filed Nov. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 154,166 2 Claims. (Cl. 166-45) This invention relates to a novel and useful method for improving well productivity and facilitating the disposal of unwanted precipitates such as salt water.

Oil and/or gas wells quite often pass through productive strata whose yield, besides including oil, gas and other valuable products also include undesirable and unwanted heavy precipitates such as salt water.

Heretofore, various means and methods have been utilized for extracting the valuable yield from the heavier and unwanted precipitates such as salt water and some have involved the pumping of the total yield to the surface of the well and then using various methods for separating the valuableyield from the unwanted portion of the yield. In addition, heretofore the unwanted portion of the yield, after having been pumped to the top of the well and separated from the total yield, has been pumped downwardly again through the well bore and into a disposal stratum.

These previous methods of disposing with unwanted heavier yields of oil wells have been extremely costly and time consuming. If the productive zone or stratum of an oil well is disposed at a 5000 foot level, if the total yield of the well is to be pumped to the surface and the productive stratum does not form an appreciable static pressure in the well, the total yield of the well must be pumped to the surface by means of pumps capable of producing 2500 lbs. pressure per square inch.

In some oil wells the unwanted heavier precipitate can amount to as much as 80% to 90% of the total yield and accordingly, in order to obtain a given volume of valua ble yield from the Well eight or nine times the volume of the valuable yield must first be pumped to the surface of the well and then the valuable yield must be separated from the unwanted portion of the yield. As previously set forth, this process can be very slow and expensive.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a method for separating the unwanted heavier precipitate portion of the total yield of the well from the desirable portion of the yield at the level of the productive stratum and for then pumping the unwanted and undesirable heavier precipitate portion of the yield downwardly in the well bore to the next adjacent disposal stratum. In this manner, the unwanted precipitate can be pumped a few hundred feet or less downwardly to a disposal stratum at a pressure above the static pressure at the disposal stratum far less than that which would be required to pump the undesirable precipitate to the top of the well. In the event the static pressure at the productive zone or stratum is sufficient to raise the desirable lighter portion of the yield to the top of the well, this lighter and desirable portion of the yield may be withdrawn from the top of the well by conventional methods. However, if the static pressure at the productive stratum is not suflicient to raise the lighter desirable portion of the yield to the top of the well, suitable pumps may be provided for pumping the desirable portion of the yield to the top of the well bore. However, in this instance, while high pressures may be required to pump the desirable portion of the yield to the top of the well, as little as one-tenth of the total yield of the well will have to be pumped to the upper end of the well bore.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to 3,167,125 Patented Jan. 26, 1965 the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a typical oil casing string generally referred to by the reference numeral 12 is disposed. A tubing string generally referred to by the reference numeral 14 is telescoped into the casing string 12 and it will be seen that the upper end of the casing string 12 is sealed to the outer surfaces of the tubing string 14. In addition, one end of a conduit 16 having a control valve 18 disposed therein is communicated with the sealed upper end of the tubing string 14 and one end of a conduit 20 having a control valve 22 disposed therein is communicated truth the upper end of the casing string 12. A sucker rod assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 24 passes downwardly through the tubing string 14, is sealed to the upper portion of the tubing string 14 and may be reciprocated in a conventional manner.

With attention now directed to FIGURE 2 of the drawings there will be seen a productive stratum generally referred to by the reference numeral 26 and a lower disposal stratum generally referred to by the reference numeral 28. The casing string 12 is perforated as atfit) at the level of the productive stratum 26 and as at 32 at the level of the disposal stratum 28. It will be noted that the casing string 12 may be perforated in any convenient manner.

An elongated tubular pump body generally referred to by the reference numeral 34 has its upper end secured to the lower end of the tubing string 14 in any convenient manner such as by a threaded connection 36 and has packer or seal means in the form of a packer orpaclc off device generally referred to by the reference numeral 38 secured to its lower end in any convenient manner such as by a threaded connection 4 a It will be noted that the packer or pack off device 38 has an opening 42 formed therethrough and that it seals the lower end of the pump body 34 to the internal surfaces of the casing string 12. at a point just above the disposal stratum 28.

A cylinder assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 44 is secured to the lower end of the sucker rod string 24 in any convenient manner such as by a threaded connection 46 and includes an outlet 48. A seating nipple assembly generally referred to by the rference numeral 50 is rigidly supported within the pump body 34 by means of an inlet conduit or neck 52 which has its inlet end 54 opening through one side of the pump body 34 as at 54. It will be noted that the inlet end 54 of the neck 52 is sealed to the pump body 34. The outlet end of the neck 52 includes a conical seal 56 and a removable piston rod generally referred to by the reference numeral 58 has a sealing head 60 secured to its lower end a spaced distance from the terminal end thereof for seating engagement with the seat 56. The terminal end of the piston rod 58 is smooth and is telescoped in the outlet end of the neck 52 which is provided with O-rings 62.

The upper end of the piston rod 58 has a piston head assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 64 mounted thereon which is slidably received in the cylinder 44 and the piston head assembly 64 has a pas sage 66 formed therethrough. A check valve element 68 controls the flow of fluid through therpassage 66 and a second check valve element '70 controls the fiow of fluid through the passage '72 through which the fluid discharged from the cylinder 44 must pass.

It is to be noted that the lower end of the cylinder 44 may be provided with means for lifting the piston head assembly 64 from engagement with the seating nipple 50 and with means for rotating the tubular piston rod 58 in order to disengage the latter from the neck 52 upon removal of the tubing string 14 and the sucker rod string 24 from the well bore 10.

In operation, the yield from the productive stratum 26 may contain as much as 90% unwanted heavier precipitates and the collective zone formed above the packer 38 and between the tubing string 14 and the casing string 12 may be utilized to separate the heavier precipitate from the valuable lighter portion of the Well yield. Upon reciprocation of the sucker rod string 24, the heavy precipitate will be drawn in through the neck 32 and upwardly through the piston rod 58 in the passage 66 and outwardly through the outlet 48. Inasmuch as the upper end of the tubing string 14 may be closed, the discharge from the pump body will be directed downwardly through the open lower end of the pump body 34 and through the opening 42 formed in the packer 38. The pumped portion of the yield will then be forced through the perforations 32 into the disposal stratum 28. If the static pressure of the yield of the well at the productive stratum 26 is sufi'icient to raise the column of fluid in the casing string 12 to the surface of the Well, the desired lighter components of the yield may be drawn off from the casing string 12 by means of conduit Ztl. However, if the static pressure at the productive stratum 26 is not sufiicient to raise the yield from the well to the surface, suitable pump means may be provided above the productive stratum 26 for pumping the lighter portion of the yield of the well to the surface while the heavier unwanted precipitates such as salt water will be pumped downwardly into the disposal stratum 28.

As previously set forth if the productive stratum 26 is disposed at considerable distance below the surface of the well, it will require far less pressure to pump the unwanted precipitates such as salt water downwardly to the next adjacent disposal stratum 28 than it will to pump the salt water to the surface of the well where it would then have to be separated from the more valuable portion of the yield and disposed of in the most economical manner.

If it is desired, and if the disposal zone 28 is a considerable distance above the lowermost end of the well bore 10, the casing string 12 may be sealed at a point nimmediately below tl e disposal stratum 28 in order that all of the portion of the yield pumped by the pump body 34 will be discharged into the disposal stratum 28.

Further, while the upper end of the tubing string 14 is closed and sealed relative to the sucker rod 24 and the valve 18 has been provided, if the static pressure at the productive stratum is not sufficient to raise the fluid in the well to the surface thereof, the upper end of the tubing string need not be closed and the valve 18 may be dispensed with. Still further, it is possible that the static pressure of the disposal zone will be less than the static pressure of the productive stratum in which case the pump would be required to effect a downward force on the unwanted fluid only if the disposal stratum was restrictive to fluid injection,

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. The method of increasing Well bore productivity and disposing of salt water precipitate and the like comprising the following steps, forming a seal in a well bore between an upper productive stratum and a lower disposal stratum, allowing the heavier unwanted precipitates and the lighter desirable portions of the yield from the productive stratum to stratify in the portion of the well bore disposed immediately above said seal, and mechanically pumping substantially only the unwanted portion of the Stratified yield from a point in said bore above said seal and spaced below the productive stratum into the portion of the well bore communicated with the disposal stratum.

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of pumping the desirable lighter portion of the stratified yield to the top of the well bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,194,616 3/40 Schoeneck 166-6 X 2,214,064 9/40 Niles 166-42 X 2,551,434 5/51 Gray et a1. 166-101 X 2,801,595 8/57 Knabe et a1. 103-158 2,980,027 4/61 Dulaney 103-158 X 3,018,828 1/62 Prentiss 166-106 X 3,050,119 8/62 Fast et a1.

3,066,732 12/62 McEver 166-42 X BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF INCREASING WELL BORE PRODUCTIVITY AND DISPOSING OF SALT WATER PRECIPITATE AND THE LIKE COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS, FORMING A SEAL IN A WELL BORE BETWEEN AN UPPER PRODUCTIVE STRATUM AND A LOWER DISPOSAL STRATUM, ALLOWING THE HEAVIER UNWANTED PRECIPITATES AND THE LIGHTER DESIRABLE PORTIONS OF THE YIELD FROM THE PRODUCTIVE STRATUM TO STRATIFY IN THE PORTION OF THE WELL BORE DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE SAID SEAL, AND MECHANICALLY PUMPING SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY THE UNWANTED PORTION OF THE STRATIFIED YIELD FROM A POINT IN SAID BORE ABOVE SAID SEAL AND SPACED BELOW THE PRODUCTIVE STRATUM INTO THE PORTION OF THE WELL BORE COMMUNICATED WITH THE DISPOSAL STRATUM. 